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Case-finding for MS prevalence studies in small communities requires a community-based approach
Joel B Cowen1, Barbara F Sjostrom, Andrea S Doughty
1University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, Rockford, IL 61107, USA. joelc@uic.edu
Neuroepidemiology
|September 20, 2007
Summary
Community outreach identified a high prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Illinois towns. This method may be more effective than traditional database scanning for finding MS cases.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Citizen concerns prompted an investigation into multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence in small Illinois communities.
- Traditional case-finding methods like scanning medical databases may be inefficient and miss potential cases due to privacy restrictions or data limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in five small Illinois towns using a community-based approach.
- To compare the effectiveness of community-based case-finding with traditional methods for identifying MS cases.
Main Methods:
- Community-based case-finding involved town meetings, publicity, advocacy groups, and volunteer outreach coordinators.
- Prevalence was estimated using available medical records for self-identifying individuals in three of the five communities.
Main Results:
- The estimated prevalence of MS in the studied communities was high, ranging from 218 to 231 per 100,000 population.
- This prevalence is notably higher compared to findings from other studies, suggesting potential underestimation by conventional methods.
Conclusions:
- Community-based case-finding can effectively identify individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).
- This approach may offer a more accurate and comprehensive method for estimating MS prevalence compared to solely relying on medical office databases.
- Implementing MS registries could further enhance the accuracy and efficiency of case detection.
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